Do you run water during the shower?

Scarim Coral

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Mobax said:
My shower water flow is as follows: turn water on, wait a moment for it to get hot, enter shower, shower, reach for towel and simultaneously turn water off.
Same here especially when I hate the cold feeling I get from the shower (it happened a few time at the accomedation I was in Uni as the shower there suck).
 

Eeeee0000

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I keep it running, but it's mostly because of the design of my shower. I have to mix hot and cold water, so with turning it off I would spend more time getting the temperature right again than the shower was off... Come to think of it, at my boyfriends place which has one handle for temperature and one to turn the water on or off, I also keep it running. Do'nt want to wait for the water to heat up again, but I suppose it would stay warm... When I shower in places that have showers that automatically turn of, or in campsites where you have to put money in the shower and only get 5 minutes of hot water, I do turn it off.
 

McElroy

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For one I don't even like showering, and so I'm in and out as quick as I can - usually in about two minutes. If I'm taking even a minute longer, I turn it off to get shower gel or whatever. Otherwise I don't bother. It's still an easy way (one of the easiest) to reduce carbon emissions.
 

Get_A_Grip_

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Seeing as it takes well over a minute for the water to heat up in my shower I keep it going.
Also the fact that my bathroom would freeze the bollocks off a monkey doesn't help either.
 

Yopaz

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AnnaIME said:
It seems none of you are homeowners.

We don't have any water shortages where I live, but we still have to pay for it. Heating the water costs a lot more, though, and both water treatment and energy production cost environmental resources.

There is also the aspect of not using all the hot water before the other three family members take their showers.

My in-laws have some kind of water limiting shower head, so instead of getting proper flowing water you get a fine mist. Rinsing my long thick hair takes ages and I never quite get all the schampoo out. We chose another solution. We have a dead mans grip on our shower head. Water only runs when I need it.
Actually, it depends a lot on where you live. No matter how much water we use over here we pay the same price because we're paying for getting water, not for the amount.

For the heating though it depends on the kind of tap you have. We have this retarded tap that requires you to turn the hot water for a few laps before it even starts working then turn the cold to adjust. It may take a few minutes just to get the temperature right and in the meantime it will switch between scolding hot and ice cold a few times, then after you have got it just right it will again turn ice cold. I would be wasting more if I didn't leave it on.
 

OneCatch

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AnnaIME said:
It seems none of you are homeowners.
We don't have any water shortages where I live, but we still have to pay for it. Heating the water costs a lot more, though, and both water treatment and energy production cost environmental resources.
Yep, but if it's bloody freezing in the morning it's still cheaper to just run the shower for a few extra minutes than to have the heating on so that the bathroom is tolerably warm.
And yeah, I could just man up, but then my gas bill (heating and hot water because everything else is electric) is only about 30% of the norm anyway, so I'm not too bothered.
 

Artina89

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I keep it running the whole time I am in the shower as it takes a while for the shower to warm up, and I only step out of the stream to apply shampoo, so it is a bit of a waste of time to continuously turn the shower off and on.
 

Saltyk

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Sep 12, 2010
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No way. I'll turn it on when I start to undress to allow the water a chance to warm up and I'll keep it on until I'm ready to get out. Turning it off before opening the curtain or door. I'll simply turn my back to the water or turn the shower head when I lather. I've never even considered turning off the water. That seems like it would be liable to get you sick. Especially in the winter.

manic_depressive13 said:
I turn off the water when I'm lathering. Otherwise the water washes the all the soap off my spongy thing. I used to just step out of the water stream while I scrubbed, but then I took to turning it off because that's a huge waste of water. Reading some of the responses here you'd think people didn't pay for the water they use.
You shouldn't be in the shower for more than 10 minutes. And that seriously won't increase the cost of your water bill. I live alone and have never gone over the allowance that I have to actually pay extra. Even when I had others living with me for a time.
 

Elementary - Dear Watson

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IceForce said:
Doublegee said:
The 15-second thing is to ensure that you don't just turn the water on and then leave. Some places get pissed off when you do that.
But that wouldn't apply to just the shower though. Any tap could be turned on and left on.

So, for what you're saying to be the correct reason, EVERY tap would need to have a 15-second timer on it, not just the shower.
They tend to in hostels... well the ones I have been to anyway!

OT: I have the water on the whole time too... I can't even imagine turning it off if I wasn't going to get out! :S That's mental!
 

Eamar

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manic_depressive13 said:
I used to just step out of the water stream while I scrubbed, but then I took to turning it off because that's a huge waste of water. Reading some of the responses here you'd think people didn't pay for the water they use.
My shower is fiddly as fuck to get to a temperature that isn't either freezing or bone-meltingly hot (there's no dedicated temperature dial or anything). Once I find the sweet spot, there is no way in hell I'm touching it until I'm done.

Plus unless you're taking stupidly long showers, a few extra seconds here and there isn't going to drastically affect your bill or your water usage. I'm in and out in 10-15 minutes max, much less if I'm not washing my hair.

Seems some people might be bathing in a very different way to me though. It doesn't take me long at all to soap or scrub.
 

SmallHatLogan

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Eamar said:
manic_depressive13 said:
I used to just step out of the water stream while I scrubbed, but then I took to turning it off because that's a huge waste of water. Reading some of the responses here you'd think people didn't pay for the water they use.
My shower is fiddly as fuck to get to a temperature that isn't either freezing or bone-meltingly hot (there's no dedicated temperature dial or anything). Once I find the sweet spot, there is no way in hell I'm touching it until I'm done.

Plus unless you're taking stupidly long showers, a few extra seconds here and there isn't going to drastically affect your bill or your water usage. I'm in and out in 10-15 minutes max, much less if I'm not washing my hair.

Seems some people might be bathing in a very different way to me though. It doesn't take me long at all to soap or scrub.
I'm with you. It takes a good minute or two to get the right temperature then I'm in and out in ten minutes. Turning the water off then having to get it back to the right temperature again just isn't worth it.
 

DudeistBelieve

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I take a bath, ideally with the shower head on though, running the whole time.

It's one of the luxury's of the first world I'd really ***** about if I didn't have. No matter how shitty a day is going, NOTHING beats a nice long soak in hot water with the gentle hum of the water hitting you. Bring a laptop in there on a small table, watch a movie.

It's GROSSLY excessive, but outside of things I'm not allowed to discuss because of Escapist TOS, it's the best way to relax.
 

DugMachine

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Water is included in the rent so I use as much as I please. Will probably cut back once I'm a home owner
 

JimB

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Thanks, everyone. I know this isn't exactly an accurate cross-section of world bathing demographics or anything, but as far as anecdotal evidence goes, it's good to have.
 

Musette

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I prefer to leave the water running the entire time (because the hot water feels really nice), but when considering other people's water bills, I try to be more considerate and shut off the water when I don't need it. I'm not very good at taking fast showers, so leaving the water on the entire time is a bit of a luxury, even if I have trouble giving it up even to be considerate.